Product description

On 11 July 1963, police raided Lilisleaf farm at Rivonia near Johannesburg, arresting alleged members of the high command of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). Together with the already imprisoned Nelson Mandela, they were put on trial, charged with conspiring to overthrow the apartheid government by violent revolution. Their expected punishment was death. In "The State vs. Nelson Mandela", Joel Joffe, their Defence Attorney, gives a blow-by-blow account of the most important trial in South Africa's history, vividly portraying the characters of those involved, and exposing the astonishing bigotry and rampant discrimination faced by the accused, as well as showing their courage under fire. With a personal forward from Nelson Mandela, this gripping chronicle of a pivotal moment in the war on apartheid should be read by everyone interested in the struggle for justice and human rights.

Author information

Baron Joel Joffe CBE is a crossbench peer in the House of Lords. He has previously served as Chairperson of Oxfam and worked as a human-rights lawyer.

Review quote

"The State vs. Nelson Mandela is a remarkable piece of contemporary historical writing that will serve as one of the most reliable sources for understanding what happened at that trial and how we came to live to see democracy triumph in South Africa." Nelson Mandela - Nobel Prize winner and former president of South Africa